Lonely Sunsets
by Dragon Dagger
Summary: Cye has returned to his home town to resume his responsibilities there. What happens when a young woman gets him in over his head?
1. Chapter 1

Nikki was walking down the road head down and covered in a kasa as she moved through the stiff winds that seemed to be prevalent along this part of the coast. ~Thank the Lord and Lady I decided to by this hat a few months back, for more than one reason. It▓s hot enough to fry an egg on the nearest rock.~ The mere thought of food sent her stomach into protests that she hadn▓t eaten in a couple days. Looking about her to get her bearings again she saw that there was the shadow of a small town on the horizon. Calculating quickly she noted that if she kept her current pace she would reach the village by mid evening. Nodding to herself she wrapped her traveling cloak about her again and continued on her way.

Cye was in the harbor teaching some of the young kids how to swim in the ocean and teaching basic safety rules. Almost everyone knew who he was so they did not mind that he was out there alone. The after noon was hot and as he made sure that the kids had sunscreen for the water he felt glad that he was able to be in the water today instead of balancing the books for the family pottery. He loved his sister and Brother in law and He loved his mother even more, but even he had to admit that he was better at the business end of the business rather than the artistry that came naturally to most of the family in the craft.

He was no slouch at the wheel though and he could turn out decent pieces, but nothing that were as captivating as his mother and sisters pieces which sold for thousands over seas. So he voluntarily stayed in the books and management area where his skills were considerably more refined from his time working with the other ronin.

Day moved into evening and as the darkness fell on the area Nikki was pleased that with the heat waves over the land had not thrown off her calculations. Walking into the town she found that it was considerably larger than she had originally estimated. All the better to her, there would have to be a restaurant in this town that would let her work for a meal. She was so hungry.

Moving through the streets quietly she stumbled on some of the cracked pavement and saved herself from a nasty fall by catching herself with the staff she carried. Looking like a carved wooden pole, the top of the staff was adorned with a design of the dragon of the sea and the dragon of the skies battling. The design intertwined down the length of the staff where the tails of the two serpents ended.

She looked through the streets and found only one restaurant that was open for business. Entering there she walked up to one of the waiters, and asked to speak to the manager. Cloak, staff and kasa she was a mildly odd site and as she never looked up to reveal her features she managed to get the man to take her to the manager. The Managers office was clean and well ordered as she walked in to speak to him. Not knowing if she could trust him she left her travel garb on as she asked about working in exchange for food.

The manager needed someone who knew their way about the kitchen tonight as the main cook had been caught with some virus that was a food hazard and had to stay home. Nikki nodded in appreciation of the clean business that the man ran and offered her services.

The manager showed her where she could place her cloak but was surprised when she refused to take the kasa off. Not caring one way or another about this stranger▓s habits he just knew that he had a kitchen that was way behind tonight and she looked like she would at least have a clue.

Once shown the kitchen she washed up and set to work and with in two hours the kitchen was caught up on orders and staying paced. Nikki was just glad to be working again and it felt good to be in familiar settings like a kitchen. She would never admit it, but the last person who taught her in the kitchen was good and he taught her a lot about how to prepare food properly.

Moving with decisive grace she put out the orders for the waiters and kept them hopping for the better part of the two hours with the catch up on the back orders. While the in house orders were cooking she prepared the to go orders for the delivery boy. Fortunately there weren▓t many for the night so she ran everything out to the main area for the boy.

All in all it was a busy night and when the restaurant closed, the manager motioned for her to cook herself a meal. She had more than earned her meal in his eyes, but if that was what she wanted then she was free and clear of any debt of him. She ate precisely and held back even though her stomach demanded of her to hurry up and fill it.

She cleaned up the kitchen and ran the dishes afterwards through the dishwasher, and as she walked to the back room to get her cloak and staff she was halted by the restaurant manager.

"Listen, I▓m kinda in a bind. The cook that you took over for tonight is in the hospital with some kind of virus. I realize that you are traveling, but could you please stay for a few days and help us out here. If it is lodging you need, there is a spare room above the restaurant that you can have for the time. Not the greatest, but it▓s a roof and a place to stay. Every shift you work you will get a meal and if there is anything else, we will work out the details later. But we really need the help."

Nikki listened from under her kasa and thought. She knew what the man was offering was a good deal, and from her experience they did not take people on like this unless it was absolutely vital. Nodding her agreement she bowed to the man. "I will be in need of a shower come morning. Is there a public bath nearby?" Her light alto voice made her sound younger than she really was as she spoke to the Manager. He nodded and gave her the directions to the bath and then to the room upstairs. She agreed to use the outside door and they locked up.

Once upstairs she took her cloak and kasa off and laid the staff next to her bed. Curling up with the cloak as a pillow she knew that the residual heat from the kitchen below would keep her warm through the night. Setting her internal alarm to wake her early she fell asleep quickly.

Sometime in the middle of the night she was awakened from sound sleep by the sounds of footsteps and soft voices in the large room/attic area. Incensed that she again was not going to get enough sleep she calmed her breathing to silence and silently grabbed her staff and kasa. It was completely dark in the room so she still had the advantage of being used to the darkness. Hearing the people she realized that they were young and planning on dropping through the drop door of the attic area to the restaurant to rob the place.

Moving silently she was glad for everything she learned in situations like this. One by one the four figures stopped responding to each other as she used her staff to knock them unconscious. There was no phone up in the attic area but she knew where it was downstairs and decided to drop into the restaurant.

Opening the hatch door and then moving the ceiling tile that covered the fact that it was there she dropped them each feet first into the restaurant and dropped in after them still wielding her staff. Reaching for the phone she called the local police. When she let them into the restaurant area they were suspicious of her possibly being in league with the thieves and got greedy.

She had to admit that with her staff and kasa she looked rather suspicious. Instead of getting upset as she would have just a few short years ago she simply asked them to call the manager at home to verify her story as to why she was in the attic area. Once that was taken care of and her statement was taken she let everyone out and then locked the door. Jumping up to the hole in the ceiling she moved back over to her corner of the world and fell asleep again. 


	2. Chapter 2

When she awoke again she reached out with her senses and felt that she had again woke up on time. Smiling slightly she grabbed her staff and things and put them on. Moving downstairs she left the building for a while to move down to the beach. She figured that at this early hour of the morning no one would see her practice.

She was right this morning as she arrived at the beach and found it completely empty. Leaving her kasa and cloak on she stretched slowly and started into a slow simple Kata. As she moved her rhythm increased, as did the complexity of her steps and forms. The sun was well on its way up when she finally stopped. Knowing that it was not wise to be seen practicing like this she started for the bathhouse that had been pointed out to her.

She paid her fees and as she entered the water in the private bath and heaved a sigh of relief. It felt so good to get clean of the road dust and sweat of the past few days. Cleaning her hair and body she got out of the bath and dried off. Grateful that her clothes were still passable in public she got dressed and retied her hair. She reached the restaurant just as the Manager was opening it and letting her inside he cooked breakfast for her saying that it was his reward for keeping the place from being cleaned out.

Nikki only nodded as she ate until she was full and then headed back to the kitchen. Kasa always on it did make the manager wonder why she wore it. Even in dealing with the thieves the police told him that she was wearing the kasa and refused to show her face. What was so terrible a secret that it had to be hidden by the hat? But, she had asked him not to ask about it and he gave her his word. A man of honor like most in the village he respected her wishes and did not ask.

The day▓s events were not too bad and she stayed on another night. The days turned into weeks and soon she was a recognized figure in the restaurant. She held to her routine and she was getting better in the kitchen now that the main cook had returned. She started to study under him to continue her training and he allowed it since she covered for him when she probably had elsewhere to go.

The kasa never came off when she was in public and there were speculations that she had some horrible disfigurement that made her terrifying to look at. Not caring what the rumormongers said she continued working and doing her daily routine. She knew that she would have moved on weeks ago when the cook had returned, but this was the first time she was not threatened and she wanted to enjoy the feeling for however long it would last.

Several customers knew her cooking style and would ask for it when they came in. Cye not being one of them was surprised at how good she was. At one point he thought that he and a handful of others he knew were the only ones that knew the knife techniques that she was using. But there she was cooking and working and never once taking her hat off to wipe her brow in the hot kitchen.

He wanted to know more about her and as he asked the manager about her he could only tell him little since in the time she was here in his restaurant she had reveled little and asked for less. Only recently had she asked for enough money to buy a new shirt and pants. Afterward she had even returned the change, but almost nothing was known about her otherwise. Shrugging he thanked the manager and left the restaurant with his order.

By listening to the talkers of the town and to the manager telling her about the people she learned that he was the supposed guardian of the village. His feats with the staff were unmatched and that he had taken care of the town from a young age. Cye Mouri was his name and from her knowledge of history she knew that the Mouri▓s were the guardians of the Hagi Sea. Storing his face away in her mind she went back to cooking. He had seemed friendly enough and just about everyone liked him it seemed. Manager of the Mouri pottery it seemed as if the young man had his hands full with everything he was doing. And yet, something rang false about him, like he was hiding something from everyone. Smacked in the flat of her back with a spoon she was brought back to the present as she realized that she had started thinking again. Never a good thing she finished out the day and left.

It was dark and there was no one at the beach she practiced at. Cloak covering her and Kasa in place she closed her eyes and then looked out at the sea. The moon and stars sparkled on the calm smooth waters like so many pinpoints of lights in a mirror. She closed her eyes again and smacking the staff into the ground in front of her she rested her hands on it and calmed her breathing. She felt the air about her and heard the night sounds that carried clearly over the water. She tasted the salty air of the sea when she breathed in deeply and yet in all of this peace, something clanged on her nerves. Her mind echoed her soul▓s unease and as she tried to calm her inner self she felt herself slip into a deep meditative trance.

In it she saw many things, kanji writings, a yin-yang symbol, a strange looking yari and images that were so demonic that she had to fight to exit her trance. What pulled her out of the trance at last were her physical senses telling her that there was someone near, watching her.

Moving slowly she pulled the staff out of the ground and turned around. On a dune not far from her she saw a young man who was facing a slightly different direction but was still watching her. "You want to know about me. Bring your friends out of hiding and find out what so many wish they did not know."

The young man grinned a fearsome grin and cut loose with a long low call. Hearing the rustling of the sand grasses around her she let her senses tell her what was where. There were about five in all. Judging by the looks of four of them, it was the same bunch that tried and failed to rob the restaurant.

Thought they could not see it, she narrowed her eyes and dropped back to a loose ready stance. There was a leader here, now where was he. She soon had her answer as they all started attacking her. They were good and it seemed that most of them knew what moves to use around the staff-wielding girl. The fight was difficult but in the end she was overcome by the reinforcements that had probably been scattered along the beach. 


	3. Chapter 3

Knocked to the ground she did not yield, instead fought to take as many with her as possible. She could not use her techniques on this bunch, they would have been killed. Instead she took the normal staff katas she had learned and worked.

Her mind and senses could not be everywhere at once and as she was overwhelmed one of the boys struck at the base of her neck knocking her out. She never saw what happened after.

Lights slowly awoke the mystery girl and her mutterings of revenge and aspirin the size of Tokyo alerted her host that she was awake. She heard more than saw the movement from her blurry vision as her mind made it very clear to her that she hurt and she hurt badly. Gently raising one hand to her forehead the first thing to contact her mind was that she was not wearing her kasa and she was not in her room above the restaurant.

Snapping fully awake she turned her head to look for her staff and kasa when her neck reminded her of where she took the hit that knocked her out. "Oh, Kami-sama. What the hell did they hit me with?"

Her face was uncovered and she was probably going to get in trouble soon but she didn▓t care. She hurt too much to care, right now all she wanted to do was get to the beach as soon as it was dark and get some meditation in. The healing chants would work, but she needed the proper frame of mind to do it.

A softened voice answered her question though startling her out of her mental reverie. "You were hit with an aluminum bat."

Her eyes snapped open at the voice and she groaned. To be hauled off the beach by the village guardian, how clichИ. "How many know about this?"

Cye looked at her in surprise. He had not expected her to be so calm about her face being revealed when she had taken such pains to keep it hidden before. Swallowing his surprise he looked at her carefully not letting a hint of his thoughts of what he saw past the guard on his face. "No one but myself. For a traveler, you fought well."

"You saw my fighting then." She was really glad now that she had not used any of the special techniques. If Cye was able to walk up on her fight, who knows how many others had seen her.

"Yes, I am Mouri Cye. I only saw what happened as they caught you off guard when they mobbed you. The entire group is sitting in a jail cell right now being tended to by the physicians." He paused and then thought about what to tell her next, he could tell that her pride had been hurt as well and that made her possibly dangerous if he said something that she could construe as an insult.

"I came on the scene as you went down. An unfair fight and I was fresh, so I lent my assistance in the situation to keep you from being killed. Afterwards I brought you here to rest and heal. Then called the police, somehow I had the feeling that you would not have liked going to the hospital." His half smile disappeared as she glared at him.

"Look, I did not ask for your help, and if you had just let me be those thugs would have done someone else▓s work for them. Now that you have seen my face, I have to kill you in open combat." Nikki was furious with this man▓s stupidity. He seemed nice enough, but what she said was true, he had to die now. She preferred to do it in combat since it made it a slightly better chance that she would die. Unfortunately she never did die; she always won and killed the loser. Her anger was focused and the only gage that she was even mildly peeved was her eyes. Her black eyes. They never reflected anything and she was born that way. The people of her village said she was cursed and wanted to kill her. They marked her with the brand of a dragon with its mouth open around her right eye to keep her from escaping as a child.

Her mother gave her over to the care of grandmother and they lived in the mountains for many years. Her grandmother teaching her everything she knew about healing and the martial arts. Her mother visited her once to give her a scroll. It was the family record. Any of the special techniques found in there were not to be shown to outsiders. She memorized the scroll and then burned it. The only record of her family history and the techniques remaining was now in her mind.

The village found her and her grandmother a few years ago and from there it was the beginning of the end. Grandmother sent her away with a purse of money, the staff that was carved specially for her and her traveling cloak. A few months ago the hood of the cloak was ripped off to expose her, she used the cloak itself to hide her face until she could get to the country.

Once there she came upon a merchant that sold hats. The kasa fit perfectly and it covered her face enough that she would not be bothered on her travels. Now it did not matter any more again. It was time to move on. Hopefully she would be killed this time instead of having to kill yet another innocent for having seen her face. But she could not risk being found. No matter what, She knew what happened to the last place she was in and did not kill the girl that saw her. The town was razed for fear that the curse had touched it.

Cye looked at her strangely and moved to continue the cleaning of her wounds. Nikki batted his hand away. "Did you not hear me? Why are you still trying to help me when I have to kill you now for seeing me."

"I know, but if it is going to be combat I do not want an unfair advantage." Cye was outwardly calm as he continued to treat her. She was extraordinarily alert for the wounds she had taken in the fight. Inwardly however he wondered just what the mark and the eyes meant. He was not about to admit to her that what had drawn him to the brawl with the Torrent Yari in hand was the surprising amount of energy that was not there for a fight of that size.

He had seen all of the people that had been knocked out of the fight but that still did not explain to him why he could not feel her energy. Even when he focused on her in her fight he could barely feel her, emotionally or otherwise. It was as if she was in the near perfect calm that Sage had been trying to reach ever since their last battle with Talpa.

She sniffed and eased herself into the sitting position against his protest when she came back at him. "Good grief, my pride is hurt worse than I am so just back off." The last part of the sentence came out in a snarl that made the warrior of trust step back in surprise. Looking over at the stool on the other side of the small hut they were in he grabbed the kasa and handed it to her hoping that once she was back into her anonymous state she would cool down. ~Sheesh, she worse than Ryo at times.~

Cocking her head at him he wondered if she had actually heard that mental remark and was relieved when she sat up straighter in the cot. Testing the edges she twisted herself around and the loud cracking noise that shot through the room startled the other occupant as she repeated the process in the other direction and then proceeded to do the same to her neck.

She relaxed even more and her voice became slightly softer as she recognized the unmistakable signs of her body on its way to a fast recovery. Turning to Cye she commented. "Tomorrow evening. After dark. I will meet you at the beach that the fight took place at. We will have the battle and the victor walks away. The loser gets buried."

She stood carefully knowing that she had some strained bones that were knitting. Moving to her staff she moved out of the hut before Cye could stop her. When he ran out to catch her before she did some permanent damage to herself he looked around and it was as if she had vanished.

Cye picked up his yari and ran back to his home. Once there he picked up the phone and hit speed dial. "Come on you guys, pick up!" He had hit Rowen▓s cell number because like most nights at this hour he was usually awake studying for college. He was about to hang up when a voice on the other side answered. "Rowen here."

⌠Good to know you can be reached inside those books of yours. Listen get the guys and get down to my place tonight. There is someone you all might just want to see. Sage most of all.■ Cye wasn▓t sure he was doing the right thing here, but that woman had a death wish for some reason and he was hoping that his friends would be able to help him out of this one. Granted the girl could fight well and might even be a challenge even in sub-armor, but something about her unnerved him like nothing in the dynasty ever did. 


	4. Chapter 4

"Cye, what is going on over there? I mean that is almost an all night drive to get to you." Rowen was now concerned. Cye almost never called in the others for a local problem. Advice over the phone yes, but never had he called them and told them to get there.

"I don▓t care how you get here Ro, I▓m telling ya that there is something weird going on down here and if you all don▓t get out of your collective beds there is going to be a dead person. Considering the situation, it will probably be me."

That got Rowen▓s attention. He tossed one of Sage▓s socks over the blond man▓s face and as Sage woke up and glared at Rowen he noticed that he was on the cell. This late at night it could only be Cye. Gesturing for the phone so Rowen could get dressed and wake the others he spoke up. "What▓s going on Cye?"

"Sage, I told Rowen to get you guys out of bed and down here tonight, I▓ll wait up for you all but I have a little situation I want you all to look at. Especially you Sage." The warrior of Wisdom raised an eyebrow at the phrasing but understood.

"I'll see to it that we are all down there soon. Local problem?"

"I don▓t know how local it is Sage, she says she is a traveler and I know that she has been around here for a few weeks. Something about her, something about her unnerves me Sage. She has a death wish and a rather sincere one at that. She challenged me to a battle to the death tomorrow evening after dark. Knowing what little I do know about her. I slip once, she▓ll kill me with out hesitation." Cye was worried but he knew that the more information he was able to give Sage about the woman the better their chances were of finding out just what this woman was fighting.

About a half hour later the guys were awake and assembled down stairs being about as quiet as four young men in sub-armor with a white tiger could be. Sage had written Mia the note telling her where they were going to be and that they would call as soon as they had any more information as to how long they would be gone or if they needed her to try to look something up in her grandfather▓s files.

Gathering their respective abilities they concentrated on Rowen and as he armored up fully he took to the air and grabbed the others to go along for the ride. He trusted the Strata armor like he trusted his friends and that trust only made his abilities with the armor stronger. Moving quickly he focused on Cye▓s location and knew that he would meet them out at the hut that he had for times when he needed to be alone for a few days.

About an hour later the guys touched down all of them still tired from having been woke up in the middle of the night. One look at Cye▓s face however and they knew that things were more serious than he let them know over the phone. Taking them into the little hut they all sat around the table to talk about the situation. Sage, knowing part of the situation continued to stand and listened as he looked out at the stars.

What Cye knew about the girl was not a lot. He knew what he had felt at the fight and he had tried to find out information about her from the village before today. Not having any luck he just thought that she was a traveler that was taking a rest from her journeys. This did not seem to be the case anymore as he related the evening▓s events. The description of her was well done as he could draw decently. What drew Sage▓s eyes to the picture however were the eyes of the girl.

As Cye described them the others understood why the woman might have unnerved Cye. Her eyes were one shade of black and they did not reflect anything like a normal person with dark eyes would. Not even the small light that was offered by the lamps that Cye had in there.

Looking at Cye Sage changed into his sub armor and asked Cye if he knew where the woman stayed. Telling him about the room above the restaurant that the manager told him about, Cye asked Sage to be careful. Something about her fighting style suggested that she would be a match for any of them even in their sub-armor. Nodding Sage disappeared into the night to get a feel for his friend▓s opponent.

Choosing to take the streets instead of roof hopping he moved quickly and was almost like one of the shadows in the town as he moved. Smiling slightly to himself he found himself wondering if Cale knew about this little trick the light bearer knew.

Knowing that Cye would be honorable in the battle did not reassure him in the least, especially if the girl was as good as Cye had told them. Walking up to the building he found himself surprised that Cye was right about one thing. If she was here, he couldn▓t sense her.

Walking around to the door he found it open and crept up the stairs praying that his boots would make too much noise to disturb her. As he entered the main room he was nearly blinded as his eyes had to adjust to a new light level. Sitting cross-legged on the floor with her cloak and kasa on was the mystery girl. Laid across her knees was the ornately carved staff, one hand on it as if she was expecting an attack.

Sage merely bowed to her and looked at her closely. There was something about her that unnerved him. Almost like he was having the bug-under-the-microscope-look turned back on him and she was seeing right down into his soul from under that hat. "I am Date Sage, what is your name?" Perhaps they would not have to fight. Sage did not want to do any damage to her but she looked like she knew what she was about with the staff as she stood up. Still several inches shorter than the Ronin in green she spoke softly as if she did not want to disturb anyone.

"My name is not important to you. Leave me be." Her voice though light and hard to place to Sage still bore a hard edge to it leaving no room for argument. Sage backed up a step at the semi-hostile greeting then settled again.

"Look, I am not here to hurt you. I just want to find out more about you. Maybe help fight what ever it is that you are running from." Sage never got to finish out his words as she moved so fast he could barely follow her and flipped him down the stairs. Following him down she pinned him with her staff at his forehead and her foot on his throat.

"I said leave. Do not be as foolish as your friend. He will either die, or he will kill me tomorrow night. I do not run from something that is a part of me. I have my secrets and I will die with them. Now leave me be!" Her head tipped down the shadows served to conceal her features. She released him from her strangle hold on his throat as her voice hissed out her demands.

She moved swiftly going back up to the spare room and locking the door behind her. Sage knew he was beat this round and decided to go back to the guys to tell them what he discovered. Taking the roofs back was the fastest route so he jumped and ran. He knew what unnerved his friend so much now and what had unnerved him that little bit enough to put him off his guard in the upper room.

Getting back it was not more than an hour after he left and Cye looked up expectantly at his friend. "Well?"

"Well, I know what made you so uneasy. Made me uneasy too thinking that someone was able to actually pull it off with out loosing themselves to it." His words got the attention of the other ronin as Sage recounted the tale including how she pinned him in less than two moves and didn▓t think twice about it.

"What we sensed in her was something that my family has been striving to achieve for several generations now. She is in perfect balance. Life death, fast slow, you name it she is at the balance point of each. In the case of good and evil, something we can all sense through our armors, she is perfectly neutral. That was what you and I sensed in her."

"The fact that we can not sense her in a power balance is because she is at that balance point. Yet she acts as if this was how she was her whole life. We will have to wait for your fight to see what is going on. We▓ll back you up if you need it. But she is going to be tough to beat. Even if you use your full armor." That pronouncement shocked them all as they knew that Sage was the best gage of them all in abilities. Armor or no, they were all lucky she was in balance and not evil. They would have preferred it of course if she had be on the side of good, but neutrality of the sort Sage was talking about was seemingly impossible, yet this girl was living that life. 


	5. Chapter 5

The day passed as Cye and the others slept, but Nikki was up and working in the kitchen giving no indication of anything unusual happening the night before. She worked hard and fast to loosen up the muscles in her arms and back since they ached and when she did stop, it was for a break to get something to eat or some water to drink. Outwardly she was business as usual, inside though her mind was on other things.

Like Cye, he had looked at her and not flinched or turned away from her unusual looks or the branding around her eye. Instead he had stayed calm until she woke up and continued to treat her as a guest in that little hut. Treating her wounds and taking her out of the fight. He had been kind to her when others had beaten her for doing nothing more than stopping a robbery, and how she would not get the chance to know him better because it was time to move on. He had seen her face and that was enough to guarantee the destruction of his entire village unless he died in that fight or he killed her.

She didn't want to kill anyone, but she also knew that for an entire village to be destroyed because she would fail in that one thing was completely out of line. For her to fight this boy it was to save his village. She had been to several villages since the last time she had to fight. Now the circle had come about again by one young man who had saved her life, and now she could only repay him with a death.

It was dark and the restaurant was now closed. A brief breath later she was on her way to the site she had chosen dressed as she always had, except now she wore a red armband. On that band there were four black stripes that ran up and down the two-inch wide strip of cloth on her right arm.

As she arrived she saw five young men on the beach sitting in a circle facing out as if they were meditating, as she hopped down on the sand from the small dune she saw Cye look up at her and stand. He was dressed in the same strange armor that Sage had been in. All five of them were in that kind of armor.

~Strange~ she thought to herself. Then spoke aloud, "You brought your friends to a fight, are they to bury the one of us that does not walk away?"

Ryo, Kento and Rowen looked shocked at her words where Sage and Cye merely looked at her and shook their heads. "No, My friends are here to make sure that this is a fair fight for both of us, and to help you should you decide to let us. We don't have to fight, you can trust us, just tell us what is going on!"

Nikki shook her head regretfully and took her cloak off; her shirt was tied down on one side by the armband. "Do you see this arm band Mouri? The Black marks on it are the number of villages I have saved from destruction by having to fight. It is my memorial to the men and women I have killed to save those villages. Tonight with one of our deaths, another village will be saved from destruction and one of us will find peace or hell. It is fate and nothing I say can change that."

Her voice conveyed a range of emotions. Most often anger or regret as she told her story, it was clear that she did not do this for fun, but the fact that she did not see one death or a village razed as a balance told of the balance she instinctively tried to keep. In a much softer tone since she had walked up to the group keeping her kasa down on her head. "Your life, or mine tonight will keep your village from being destroyed. You, as the guardian of this village must see the sense of this balance. I can not kill out of cold blood and that is why I challenged you to mortal combat." She bowed to the others. "I am sorry that your friends have to watch. They seem kind and open hearted, but that was your wish and theirs it seems. So let us continue with the evening shall we?"

As she walked back to where she had stuck her staff into the ground she could hear the whisperings of the group behind her. They were an honorable lot as far as she could tell and would stay out of the fight. But she could also tell that they didn't want their friend to have to fight at all. What was said now must be done, or the village would be destroyed. Cye saw the truth to this and knew that he could not call his friends to defend the village, he had to fight.

Sighing softly to himself he picked up the yari that was next to him and inspected it quickly before he walked over to the woman. "Before we fight, I would like to know your name. Should I win then I will erect a proper burial site for you. If you were to win, I have people that know my name and will bury me. You however probably have no one if your past is really as terrible as you needing to kill me to save my village." Cye looked at her carefully trying to gage her reaction to his request by her body language. There was nothing to read, a neutral stance, neither offensive nor defensive as she pondered the question.

"My name," She said at last, "Is Nikki Li Chuang, you are very kind. I do not wish to kill you. Maybe this time it will be my time." The last part of her words were all but lost in the breeze that came up. Looking at the others she nodded to show that she was ready for whatever fate handed her.

Taking a ready stance she indicated that there was no more time for them to talk, instead it was time to fight before the night was gone. Cye took his stance and looked at her warily now. There would be no idle chatter in this battle as there had been during his fights with Sekhmet. No taunts and challenges between the combatants. This time they would fight with everything they had until one of them was dead.

The attack was still unexpected as it came flying through the air. Nikki▓s hair was flying behind her as she had let it loose for the fight. The waist length hair was held out of her face by the ties of the kasa that held the hat to her head. It swung about freely as she turned and twisted easily avoiding or blocking the attacks with her staff. When she attacked she was hard put to land the hits but she was blocked with the same skill she had shown, she pushed the thoughts out of her mind and kept it clear so that she could see with out distraction.

Ryo and the others stared at the combatants in wonder and amazement. They all knew how well Cye could fight when his life was on the line. This girl was even pushing him past that as she fought with increasing speed and dexterity. ~She▓s good!~ Was the unanimous thought between the four that were watching.

As the fight progressed the staff and yari soon became blurs of motion as they tried to each move fast enough to land a hit. Both were bruised and the nicks they each had stung a little but it was all pushed to the side as they maneuvered along the ground and in the air as they tried from all angles to get the telling blow in. Cye knew that if he held back even a little she would kill him and he knew that if she lost, she would demand the challenge be kept for honor▓s sake.

Nikki could feel along the length of the staff that the staff had taken several balance changing nicks in the hard wood. As she readjusted to the staff she again cleared her mind of her times in the town and barely avoided getting hit with the bladed edges of the yari's end. She did however get a sizable chunk of her hair lopped off as the thing came down. Looking at the fallen hair briefly she continued to fight. He was good; she had not fought like this in a while.

Nikki was getting tired as she kept fighting. Almost an hour of hard fighting passed and the tempo of the fight had only increased from the beginning. Not slowing down she planted the end of her staff and used it to help her vault over Cye to his backside.

Cye saw the chance to take her out of balance and kicked out at the base of the staff shattering it with his sub-armored strength. Nikki looked at the staff that was now shattered and hefted it as she dodged Cye▓s attacks. Deciding that the staff was no longer any use to her she pointed at the end of the staff which now showed a piece of metal. She twisted the staff a little in her hands and the head of the staff came away bringing with it a blade almost four feet long.

Seeing Cye▓s shocked expression she flipped the sheath part of the staff around and knocked it against the blade hearing a pure ringing tone of the metal she took a different ready stance and then flipped the blade into the ground and muttered a few words.

What happened next shocked them all as the ground split open between her feet and she stayed in place not falling into the jagged crevice. Cye flipped out of the way of the crack and armored up completely. This fight just got a whole lot more dangerous. 


	6. Chapter 6

The guys watched Nikki in shock as she pulled the blade from the staff. Sage merely nodded to himself, as he knew that she probably had another weapon should the staff prove ineffective. They all had to jump out of the way however when the ground opened up because of her technique. Kento was in awe as he though he had the only technique that would open up the ground.

Cye was cautious in feeling her out and noticed that she had not lost her balance as she held the blade ready for the fight again. The attack was fast and the sword seemed to sing as it▓s thin blade cut the air again and again. Cye had to fight harder to stay away from the blade. As it would do a lot more damage than the staff had.

Nikki however was working twice as hard to keep her focus and stay away from the yari. The right hit from either end would kill her instantly. As much as she wanted to end her travels, she could not bring herself to step into one of his strikes. He was holding her to her word and so she would hold him to his.

Looking around she saw that they shredded the beach area pretty badly. Feeling bad about the landscape she knew there was nothing she could do about it. It was all she could to keep from being turned into shishkabob. She saw an opening and in that moment she saw a chance to strike. Looking around she turned about with a quick hand change of the blade it changed its direction and went over the guard that had been set up and scored a hit over Cye▓s left eye.

Stepping back Cye gently touched the wound to assess the damage as it bled. She was not kidding that this was a fight to the death. The guys however saw the move and were ready to jump into the fight when Nikki halted them. "Cye gave his word that this was honorable combat. It was a legit hit upon his person, do not interfere."

Cye nodded agreement to the words and the others had to restrain Kento. Rowen looked at the friends and spoke. "Kento, she▓s right. Cye gave his word for the group. If we interfere now it means instant death for Cye. If we stay out of it he at least has the chance of living through this."

Kento stopped struggling and sat down again as he heard the words. They had made their impact but he still did not like it. They were a team, all of them and Cye was fighting for his life and now they couldn▓t help him.

Looking about they all noticed that the fight had gone on for most of the night. Both combatants were tiring quickly now and the brief breaks they allowed for weren▓t helping anymore. It was hammer and tongs until one was dead.

The light was starting to brighten as the false dawn approached and Nikki knew it. Her black eyes were sensitive to the light levels and she fought harder, pushing her cut, battered body past its limits in the effort to end this fight. Cye noticed and poured everything he had into his attacks and his defenses. During the swordplay that she did, Cye had pulled out his tanto blade so that he could better guard against the attacks that came with in the defenses of the yari. He was doing well and as he snapped his wrist forward his claws snapped into place as she relieved him of the yari by grabbing between his hands and flipping him over her so that he would either have to let go or break his neck on landing because she was not letting go of the weapon.

Cye of course let go and rolled out of the landing using the momentum to pop back up to his feet. Instead of using the weapon against him she threw it back at the watching guys where it stuck in the ground tines first. The guys all moved as she threw the weapon and they left it alone as it was obvious that she was not going to use it either.

Nikki readied her sword again as Cye switched the tanto to his left hand so that he could use his claws for defense if necessary. He looked at her with renewed respect, as he knew that she was about ready to drop. She was still wielding the long blade with practiced ease as if her pride would not let her show any weakness. Her energy was flagging if his own strength was any indication. He soon had to clear his mind as she attacked too soon.

He had an advantage in being armored but even that would do him no good now that she knew some of the weak points in his armor. She cut and slashed almost possessed by the need to finish the fight. There would be an end tonight before the sun came up.

Everyone▓s wish was granted too soon as her defense had gotten weaker with her body cut, bleeding and weak Cye came under her guard with his claws and punched her. Eyes wide she looked at Cye and very slowly turned her sword around and stuck it blade first into the ground. She faded quickly as Cye let her down to the ground taking his bloodied claws out of her.

Cye was in tears. He had not wanted to kill her and he found that he really liked her. She was a good person at heart and he knew that she could not help that she was born the way she was. Gently he took the battered kasa off her head and finished laying her down. "Why did you let me do that Nikki?"

Nikki looked up at the victor and smiled softly and coughed lightly spitting up some of the blood that had worked its way into her lungs. Breathing raggedly she answered him quietly. "Cye, If I were well I would have to kill you for implying that I let you win." Taking another ragged breath she continued. "You won in a fair fight, your friends showed great honor today in letting you fight alone as you needed." She finally started gasping as she spoke. "No, you defeated me, and now I will be able to rest. My journey is done and your village is safe. I shall go now Cye. Live, live for me and everyone that are cursed with my existence, please. Promi..." She never finished her sentence as her body▓s strained hold on life finally let go. Sighing softly as the last breath left her she closed her eyes a feint smile left on her lips to indicate that she had indeed passed in peace.

Cye armored down to his under gear wincing at the number of deep bruises and cracked bones she gave him with her staff strikes and picked her up gently and nodded to his friends who had stayed out of earshot at Sage▓s request. Sage walked over to them and took up her sword and what was left of her shattered staff. Sheathing the blade, as it was he carried it back to the others while Kento took up Cye▓s yari.

"There is much to be done and the sun is coming up. I made a promise to her at the beginning of the battle. Now is the time to do it." Rowen and Ryo nodded and followed Cye, Sage and Kento who all walked side by side.

The day was spent watching Cye bury the young female warrior. He felt her loss deeply and it was obvious to his friends. Sage had performed the soul cleansing rites on her so that she would pass on to the next world untroubled. Cye dug the grave and Kento helped line it with the stones. Ryo used his abilities to melt the stones down into a solid box with in the earth while Rowen went into the village to inform the restaurant owner that the girl had died.

Late in the afternoon when Rowen had returned, they finished burying the woman that had been so different from anyone they had known. Cye laid her in the ground and Sage laid her weapons with her indicating to the gods that she had been a warrior and a pure, good, and welcome tenant in this world by those that now laid her physical body to rest.

As they filled in the hole with the rock layer first and then the earth Cye shed his tears over her loss. He had wanted to help her so much and in the end he had to kill her. Rowen took him off to the side after the work was done and handed him a letter. "The restaurant owner gave these to me. He said he had gotten a letter too. There is one for the rest of us too." 


	7. Epilogue

Cye opened the letter and began reading. He could almost hear her voice saying the words as he read them.

Mouri Cye,

I was ungrateful to you as you helped me out of the fight last night and I should have been. I was wrong to have stayed here as long as I did and it was my own undoing in the end. However I was loath to leave here because for the first time ever I felt a sense of safety and calm.

Your friend Sage was correct; I did live the ways of the balance. It was the tenements of my clan and I have now taken the clan name and the secrets of its ways with me to my grave. I was the last of the Li Chuangs and now that I am resting from my journey I will tell you about the reason I had to fight.

When I was born my eyes were the color you saw them to be when we first met. I was labeled as cursed and branded with the dragon to indicate that I was in line to die. Mother took me to a place out in the mountains and left me with my Grandmother. In the years I was there I learned all of the family secrets and how to fight. The secret techniques I did not use would have killed you instantly whether you were special or not. I could not do that so I used the only one that you would survive.

I knew that I would win and be able to move on provided that your friends would have let me, or I would have died and you would receive this letter. I fought because the last time I let a person live after seeing me, the nobles of my village conquered that person▓s village and razed it to the ground killing everyone in it. I had no Idea that they had feared that the curse I carried had touched that village and so took the measures to keep it from spreading. I did not want that to happen again so I since then did the only thing I could.

They have followed me, always a step behind me but they have not destroyed the four villages I told you about so I stayed the balance. Never again will I let an atrocity like that happen again. You and your friends were the first to try to help me out of my fate. Long ago I would have tried, but now it is too late and I am sleeping, never to wake again.

Don▓t hate yourself for what you have done. It was necessary and we both know it.

I will see you in the next life, who knows maybe you will save me then.

Until we meet again.

A guardian angel

Li Chuang Nikki

Cye was completely in tears as he finished reading the letter. He had not been certain of his feelings for the mysterious woman before, but now he was certain that if they had actually had the time to get to know each other more, that he would have loved her deeply.

Looking up he nodded to the others as he could see that they were reading their letter from Nikki.

Friends of Mouri Cye,

He is lucky to have friends that will hold to his word as you all have. I would have liked to have gotten to know you all but fate had other plans for me.

Sage, you are a good friend for Cye, strong and honorable. Be there for him as I can tell that my death will hit him hard. He has ghosts in his past and I have a feeling you all know about them. Take care of him.

Everyone else. As I write this I cannot help but figure that he has more than one friend that is here to help him out. Do as you can for him. The feelings you all share in camaraderie are ties that are not broken easily. Be good to each other and know that I am resting at last. My journey is done for now but like I said before to Cye, We will meet in the next life, maybe you all can save me then.

My best to you all as you move on from this experience.

A guardian angel

Li Chuang Nikki

Sage nodded slowly as they all heard the words she wrote to them. Rowen had told them all that the owner of the restaurant owner had gotten a letter too and that in it were these letters for Cye and them. The instructions said that if she did not return then he was to give the letters to the one that brought the news of her end.

Saddened at the fact that they would never get to know the woman they watched as a wincing Cye picked up his yari and headed for the beach. As they followed him at a distance they noted that his bandaged ribs were restricting his movements as he went through Kata after Kata.

As the sun started to touch the sea he suddenly stopped and spun the yari around embedding it into the sand and fell to his knees. Worried that he had hurt himself in his efforts they still held back until they saw him close his eyes and rest his head on the shaft of the weapon. In the position of meditation the others left him to prepare to go home. Their duties here were done and they knew that if Cye needed to talk to them he would call them.

The sun was finally below the sea when Cye finally stood up. Hefting the yari to its place on his shoulder he went back home to sleep.

Days turned into weeks and weeks into months and Cye would lead his life on. However starting the evening he buried the woman he always went down to the beach with the yari and went through the katas for the weapon. Meditating afterwards for several hours. He was never home before dark and if anyone interrupted the new routine he was violent in his rebuttal. No one understood what was going on with Cye, as he had not told any one about the battle the night he killed Nikki. Her face as she died was ever fresh in his mind as he tried to move beyond that moment. But he found that it was almost impossible for him to focus on anything with out seeing her some how.

Reading the letter over and over he found scant peace in the words knowing that they were her last written words to ease his mind. The evening he went to the beach to find it empty as ever, but something was different about the air. Instead of disturbing the new feeling with the katas he usually did he left the yari on his shoulder walked along it▓s length with his feet lapped at by the small wavelets that came in from the peaceful waters.

Looking out at the setting sun he found his mind again on her. Not being able to stand it any more he flipped the yari down into the ground and knelt in front of it again and wondered why he could not move beyond the moment he so wished to forget.

Minutes passed but Cye saw nothing but the yari in front of him and the picture of the woman that had changed his life so much in one night.

So engrossed in the memories of her he was startled into looking up with a gentle hand touched his shoulder. About to burst into violence he was startled out of his anger when he saw the person who had touched him. The cloak and kasa were too similar to the ones he had buried months ago. In the other hand that had not touched him was a staff, same but different from the one he shattered in the fight.

The hand moved to his cheek and gently wiped away the tear that he had not even realized he had shed at the vision before him. "Am I that lonely in the evenings that you can not leave me be and stay in my mind?" He asked silently.

The figure dropped to her knees leaving the standing yari between them. "I am sorry. Your loss was greater than mine."

The softly whispered words were heard and as Cye looked at the figure closely she laid her staff down next to her as she sat on her knees. "Are you a spirit or a hallucination? I must know."

The kasa moved side to side. "Neither, I am as real as your or your friends. Forgive me Cye, please."

Cye could not believe his eyes and he reached out to take her hand. It was soft and warm as he thought about her. "You sought forgiveness in your death. I had no right to take your life. You did tell me that had it been earlier you might have let me help you. Will you let me help you now?"

The kasa nodded. "Hai, I will let you help me. I will tell you of my life and my curse. And I will let you help me. I trusted you once, I will trust you again. Thank you."

The softly spoken words jumped out at him like flares in the twilight. Moving slowly, so that she could stop him if she wanted to, he took up the yari from its position and set it at his side. Having done so he looked at the woman that had occupied his waking thoughts and smiled.

Moving slowly again he gently lifted the Kasa to see the very face that had haunted his dreams and his waking thoughts for the last almost a year. She did not flinch from him this time. Her eyes were still black and did not reflect anything, but Cye did not care. Leaning over he gently kissed her then whispered. "You have returned, now I am not letting you go."

She smiled softly at him the whole look taking his breath away as he stood up bringing her with him. "Stay with me, please? You will be welcome and accepted here."

She heard his promise but it did not matter. She had found the balance for her heart and it overjoyed her. Cye did feel the same way as she did and so she nodded. "I will stay. As long as I can, I will stay."

Cye untied her kasa and took it off letting her hair fall. Shorter than when he last saw her he noticed that it was the length it was when he slashed it with the Torrent yari Fingering it softly he looked down at her slightly smaller height and smiled as he held her close.

They released each other and as she put her kasa back on she left her hair down. They took up her staff and his yari and walked back to towards the house, their souls finally at peace having found each other. 


End file.
